360PR Blog

In 360PR’s 10th year, we are celebrating by sharing some of the things we’ve learned along the way in a “10 minutes with…” series featuring interviews with our practice leaders! Last time we chatted with the Account Director of our Parenting practice, Caroline Pierce.  Now we’ve sat down with Mike Rush, Account Director of our @Home practice, to learn more about him and some of the trends he has spotted!

Nesting has certainly been a pervasive trend the past several years.  What other trends are you leveraging for 360 clients in the home goods space?

Many of 360’s @Home clients are focusing on energy- and cost-savings, helping homeowners build the castle of their dreams while not breaking the bank.  Savings benefits are being communicated in a variety of ways — through tools such as online savings calculators, Facebook coupons and DIY tips.  As a team, we’ve been exploring consumers’ tertiary uses for home products, too, which can help create buzz – like running a humidifier to create white noise and a quieter sleeping environment (in addition to reaping all the other benefits of using a humidifier).

How much have eco-trends affected the home space?

It’s not just about recycling, ENERGY STAR, and eco-friendly packaging anymore.  After what seemed like a green-washing epidemic, there’s been a more meaningful discussion of tangible eco-benefits that hit close to home, like low-VOC paint.  Many 360PR @Home clients are turning to qualitative research to get to the root of eco-trends in their specific industry.  A recent survey Honeywell Air Purifiers, for example, found that only 1/3 of Americans have actually considered how indoor air can be affecting their health.  A scary thought given the EPA has found that VOC levels on average are 2-5 times higher indoors than outdoors.

How have media responded?

HGTV, in particular, has groomed a new generation of home experts and stars.  There’s Mike Holmes from “Holmes on Homes,” David Bromstad from “Color Splash,” and Sabrina Soto from “Get It Sold,” who recently signed as a spokesperson for both Target and Claritin.  Magazine editors at the home magazines have also become the faces of the morning shows – Sarah Humphreys at Real Simple and Elizabeth Mayhew from House Beautiful are two of my favorites who both regularly appear on TODAY.

What are some of your go-to sources for the newest home products and home design trends?

Urban Daddy is my source for off-beat home design trends and products – just last week I was tempted to buy a Merriam Webster Dictionary hollowed out with a flask for whiskey inside and I don’t even like whiskey!  I’m also an avid reader of all the home magazines.  Suzanne Kasler and Thomas Paul are two of my favorite designers.  Top designers are teaming with retailers for exclusive lines – like Suzanne’s collection of furniture and accessories available through Ballard Designs.  And I love the style that Martha Stewart brings to The Home Depot (if you haven’t checked out HD’s upscale spin-off site HomeDecorators.com, you should).

What’s your newest can’t-live-without purchase at home?

Hands down it’s my Cuisinart Griddler. Prosciutto Jarlsberg paninis are the best on it and it’s a life-saver for grilling chicken!

Filed under: 10 Minutes With Our Practice Leaders, 360 Public Relations, Design, Media and Press by Admin - 1 Comment →

By Mark Nolan

One of the gaming industry’s most well-known publications announced they will be closing its doors – both in print and online – this week. GamePro, which has been around since 1989, announced that the November issue of the magazine will be its last and on Monday, December 5. GamePro.com will redirect to its sister publication, PCWorld.com. A notice on the top of GamePro.com thanks their dedicated readers, like myself, with this message:

“Thank you for your loyalty, support, and participation in the GamePro.com community. […] Thank you to the entire GamePro staff for their hard work and dedication.”

The first GamePro I picked up was in 1997, when my shiny new Nintendo64 was begging for the latest games. The magazine always covered the best new releases, and – in the era before the internet – provided invaluable reviews to help gamers (and parents) decide which games were worth the money. In the changing print landscape over the past few years, GamePro struggled, announcing earlier this year that they would be switching to a quarterly format.

While sad, it’s not all bad news for the GamePro brand which will remain as a subsection of PCWorld’s site, and a new entity called GamePro Custom Solutions will provide customized content for vendors and industry events like E3. Publisher Julian Rignall had mixed emotions about the news on his Twitter account:

All is not lost for print outlets in the gaming industry: magazines like Game Informer and Official Xbox Magazine are still going strong, and there are even some new print magazines joining the fray. Best Buy launched their @Gamer magazine in partnership with Future Publishing earlier this year, and another famous gaming mag from the industry’s early years, Electronic Gaming Monthly, was recently reborn.

We will definitely miss GamePro’s fantastic editorial staff and the groundwork they laid for gaming journalists over the past two decades. Farewell, for now, guys! We wish you all the best!

Filed under: Media and Press, Video Games by Admin - 2 Comments →

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know that Prince William and Kate Middleton will marry this Friday to great fanfare. Perhaps the most talked and written-about event of 2011, the Royal Wedding has people all over the world in a tizzy. While your average commoners like you and me may be curious about the dress, guest list and honeymoon locale, some companies are concerned with wedding-related revenue.

Companies with food at their core, in particular, are hoping to cash in. Louisville, Ky-based chain Papa John’s commissioned a food artist to create the likeness of the prince and his bride on a pizza that “tastes as good as it looks.” The mosaic pizza portrait made from mushrooms, salami, peppers, and of course, cheese, can be purchased by residents across the pond.

If you’re stateside and planning on watching the early morning telecast (TODAY’s coverage beings at 4am EST), you’ll certainly need a cup of coffee.  Why not accompany your java with Dunkin’ Donuts Royal Wedding Donut? According to the Behind the Bean, Dunkin’s blog, the heart-shaped, glazed, jelly-filled masterpiece was created with wedding traditions and Will & Kate’s favorite flavors in mind.  If your sweet tooth isn’t satisfied after a Royal Donut, or if you’re looking for something to serve at your Royal Wedding viewing party, stop in to your local cupcake shop. Many across the country, like Boston’s Sweet, are selling the bite-sized treats with toppers featuring royal wedding-related images like Will and Kate’s engagement photo.

What royal-related marketing campaigns have you seen?

Filed under: Consumer Marketing, Internet, Media and Press, Retail by SkyeMcIntyre - 3 Comments →

By Kerry Murphy

This week, the New York Times announced it was going to start charging a fee for access to its site; its content. The new strategy allows the site’s visitors to view 20 articles a month. After that, you gotta pay.

The Times is not the first media outlet to go this route, but their announcement is, of course, a big deal. The Times is one of the most venerable and widely read news outlets in the world. It is a reliable source for well reported news and high quality features. Its brand is well respected and often imitated.

A copy of the Times rolled up under an arm on a bus, or displayed on a computer screen in an airport is somewhat of a status symbol; a message to the world “I’m smart. I’m informed.”

Still, getting readers to pay for content they have gotten for free for years is going to be a somewhat challenging transition. Will the strength of the Times brand and a loyal audience be enough to make it work? Only time will tell.

For now, publishers should consider the motivations and needs of their readers. What’s in it for them? More in depth or special content via the web? Access to content, events, people, places and things that non “members” can’t get to? It makes sense for those in charge to be seriously considering these things, to have a strategy at the ready to make sure their readers feel communicated with during the transition.

What do you think about the changes?

Filed under: Media and Press by Admin - 2 Comments →

By Kerry Murphy

Attention. This blog post is going to be revolutionary, cutting edge, unique and state of the art.  It will be the leading provider in blog satisfaction through its state of the art tone and delivery with its exclusive real time content.

Buzzwords. I think it’s safe to say that most of us communications professionals have been guilty of using, and overusing them, at one moment or another. Why do we do this? We know it’s wrong. We know it reflects poorly on us as communications (ironic, eh?) professionals. We know influencers hate it. We know these words end up as e-mails in spam folders and cause a glazing (or even rolling) of the eyes for those who read them.

So why do we do it? After reading PR Daily’s recent piece on the subject, we started talking and thinking about all this here at 360. What did we come up with? We don’t really know why these words are still so pervasive in the industry. Why they just won’t go away.

We at 360 pledge to make a conscientious effort to ban the buzzwords, get out a thesaurus, dig deep into those word and language sharp brains of ours, and come up with words that simply say what we want them to say and speak to the people we are trying to reach in a way that makes sense and delivers value for our clients.

What do you say? We’re in…

Filed under: 360 Public Relations, Media and Press, PR Industry, Pitch tips by Admin - 2 Comments →

Parents don’t let kids social network alone.

That’s the thinking behind Togetherville, a juvi-social network where the 10 and under set can hang out with their parents online and give social networking a whirl in a safe online neighborhood.

It’s free to join and parents create their child’s account through their own Facebook log-in. Parents can “play” with their kids online – hence the together in Togetherville – and can approve or reject friends that their children ask to bring into their neighborhood. Creator Mandeep Singh Dhillon told CNET.com that it’s all about creating accountability. He said, “Togetherville allows parents to create neighborhoods of the real people in their child’s life to be around their kid as they grow up online.”

Similar to Disney Digital Books, the site looks different for parents and children. And in this kiddie-size version of Facebook, your kids can comment on a status update using canned responses called “quips.” The site does let kids write their own free-form messages, but they must be approved by the parent before being sent. From the kids site, the games, videos and other activities are all pre-screened and no ads are allowed. From the parents site, you can send your kids notes and gifts, look at their activities and see what they’re creating. Kids also get passports that they can fill up with badges by playing games and watching videos on the site.

Let’s face it, kids under 13 are not allowed on Facebook, but they are joining anyway. And while there are some really nice things about Facebook, the perils aren’t worth the trouble that can happen if your young child isn’t supervised.

The question is whether parents will take the Togetherville step before letting their kids loose online. And, we’ll find out soon enough whether the Togetherville model even proves to be “safe enough.” Let’s also hope that Togetherville doesn’t turn into Addictedville and shut out important real-life experiences for young kids.

For now, it seems to me like a great solution for parents whose kids who are chomping at the bit to get online. It may just provide a valuable head start in teaching kids early on netiquette and the importance of safety and privacy on a social networking site. There is no denying, these sites are here to stay and will only evolve and grow.

So please share, would you use Togetherville with your child?

Filed under: 360 Public Relations, Consumer Marketing, Digital Books, Digital PR, FaceBook, Marketing to Moms, Media and Press, PR Industry, Parenting, Social Media, Social Networking, Togetherville, Video Games, Virtual Worlds by Admin - 3 Comments →

I was catching up on The Daily Show (thank you Tivo) this week and caught Jon Stewart’s interview with Newsweek Editor Jon Meacham, who appeared on the show the same day The Washington Post Co. announced it was putting Newsweek up for sale.  Check out the interview if you haven’t seen it. Meacham is perfectly candid and raises an important question: If we aren’t willing to pay for news, won’t we compromise the value and quality of news coverage?

I’m as guilty as anyone of soaking up my share of free content online and off.  But I believe there are some things worth paying for and news is one of them. Think about the bureaus, the talent, the experience and the equipment that’s needed to cover events up the street from us and around the world today with both accuracy and analysis.

Should it all be replaced by Citizen Journalism?  Blogs aside, since there are many bloggers writing with as much experience as journalists at the most established news organizations, I don’t think we want to rely on a guy with a flip cam to report all of our news.  Some of it maybe, for immediacy and to be part of the conversation that unfolds around news events on Twitter and Facebook.   But there’s more to news – and media – than that.

Just as we value teachers, we should value trained journalists.  Just as we still pay to see that summer blockbuster, we shouldn’t shy away from shelling out a few dollars for a weekly news magazine.  To a certain extent, you get what you pay for, or what advertisers  and sponsors pay for.  What do you think?

Filed under: Media and Press by LauraTomasetti - 2 Comments →

I’ve walked through Copley Place and the Prudential many times. But, instead of grabbing a bite to eat in the food court last Friday, I speed-walked through the mall to the Hynes Convention Center for the first annual Penny Arcade Expo East (PAX East). It was quite a sight…over 60K gamers, many fan boys and girls in full costume, descended on Boston and captured the attention of the Pru “suits” on their lunch break, as well as the local media. Multiple features in Mass High Tech, the Boston Globe, Boston Herald, Xconomy.com and others chronicled the success story that was PAX East.

Held for the past four years in Seattle (PAX West), PAX organizers decided to branch out to the East coast and Boston was a natural choice – as a HUGE college town, Boston is filled with gamers! Thousands of attendees and about 70 hardware and software companies, including 360 clients Turbine and Immerz, crammed into the tiny Hynes Convention Center for a sold out show. And I’ve heard that in 2011 the event will be held at the much larger Boston Convention & Exhibition Center – the open space will provide more room for the nerd herd to really spread out next year.

The gamers are gone, for now. But it’s clear that PAX East was a milestone event for Boston, the first gaming event of its size to be held in our backyard. While Massachusetts has long been known as a leader in various technology sectors, in recent years the gaming cluster has really started to shine becoming a key growth area for the state.

According to a 2009 survey by the Mass Tech Leadership Council, the state’s video game makers, which include industry heavyweights Harmonix and Turbine, take in $2 billion in revenue per year.  There are over 70 companies in MA dedicated to games, employing over 1,200 people. There are also multiple local organizations dedicated to fostering the community, including the New England Games SIG (of which I participate as a steering committee member), the Boston Post Mortem, and the MassTLC Games Cluster.

Did you get your game on at PAX? What did you think? We at 360 can’t wait until next year! Check out some photos of the 360 team at PAX on our Facebook page.

The 360PR team at PAX East - Elicia, Stacey, and Amanda

Filed under: Boston, Events and Conferences, Industry Organizations, Media and Press, Video Games by EliciaBasoli - 2 Comments →

Simply stated, social media has changed the way we communicate during disasters. This is now abundantly clear with all of the online activity surrounding the recent earthquake in Haiti.

Over the past couple weeks, there has been a tremendous outpouring of support for the Haitian people. According to the Chronicle of Philanthropy donations have exceeded $470 million!

Mobile giving raises the bar

A large portion of donations are coming from The Red Cross’ mobile phone texting campaign. With partners Mobile Accord and the mGive Foundation, Red Cross quickly enacted a mobile texting campaign shortly after the earthquake hit. And with the help of the NFL playoff game spots and other widespread promotions, mobile phone users have donated over $25 million thus far just by texting “90999!” According to this NY Times story, over $500,000 per hour was donated to the Red Cross during recent NFL games. And according to Pew and Twitter-tracking service Sysomos, 189,024 tweets included “90999″ between January 12^th and 14^th. 2.3 million included the word “Haiti” or “Red Cross” in this same time frame. Truly unbelievable!

Relying on social media and citizen journalists

Not only has social media been used to gather donations, but people on the ground in Haiti have used Facebook and Twitter to send updates/photos, while concerned onlookers tune in to the constant stream of updates. In addition, news outlets have relied on social media and “citizen journalists” in their reporting. For example, CNN started a “Haiti Boots On Ground” Twitter list, compiling updates from the CNN reporters on the ground.  CNN’s iReport has also played a key role in their coverage of the disaster.

And companies have rallied to develop mobile apps and websites dedicated to the cause, such as a Creole-to-English translator app .  An organization called “The Extraordinaries” which allows people to complete micro-tasks for organizations or causes, using a mobile phone or web browser in a few minutes, have set up a support page at http://www.beextra.org/haiti to leverage the “power of the crowd” to help locate and identify missing persons.

Our best wishes to the Haitian people and to all of the families affected by the earthquake. Stay strong.

Filed under: Cause-Related, Internet, Media and Press, Mobile Industry, Social Media by EliciaBasoli - 6 Comments →

Part two of two in our year-end social media recap touches on the more serious side of our evolving online landscape. We hope you enjoy! Let’s get started…

5.  Newspapers Move to Online-Only, Embrace Social Media Back in September, 360PR’s own John LeRoy wrote about the end of the Ann Arbor News’ print publication, and throughout 2009, many newspapers followed suit, moving to publishing their content strictly online and incorporating social media functionality.  Along with the recession came widespread newsroom cuts, and while many papers folded altogether, others can only be found now by visiting the web. Whether you embrace the change or miss the sound of a daily paper landing on your doorstep, the move to online-only is here.

4.  Rise of Mobile Apps If you’re an iPhone lover or a Blackberry devotee, you can’t deny the ease and convenience the downloadable applications that are essential to these smart phones bring.  With the click of a key or the touch of an icon, you can find the nearest gas station, read restaurant recommendations, check out times for movie showings, and much, MUCH more.  Running late for the airport?  There’s an app. that allows you to check the status of your flight. 

3.  Live Stream Presidential Inauguration Not only did 2009 see a new, African-American president in the White House, America saw his inauguration unfold in real-time online.  Courtesy of CNN, those unable to obtain a ticket to the inauguration were able to watch every second from the comfort of their own home.  January 20, 2009 was an extremely historic day in more ways than one.

2.  Moms Online  Nielsen recognized the power of moms’ online presence and released “The Power Mom 50,” 50 of the most influential moms on the ‘net (though Nielsen’s list left off some biggies), and the FTC implemented new rules guiding interactions between brands and bloggers (largely driven by the increase of sponsored content on mom blogs).  Meanwhile, Oprah recognized the importance of moms online when she Skype’d in mom bloggers from across the country in an April episode ‘The Secret Lives of Moms.’ 

1.  Brands and Social Media If you’re a Facebook or Twitter user, you’re likely connected with a few brands online. Jet Blue (@JetBlue,) Comcast (@comcastcares) and Whole Foods (@wholefoods) were among the most followed on Twitter this year.  Top brands on Facebook included Starbucks, Coca-Cola and Disney. But with more brands competing for valuable online space, it will be tricky breaking through the clutter. Starting with a solid fan base will help, but providing the online community with “insider” knowledge and unique insights is what will really make a brand stand out in 2010.

Happy New Year!

Filed under: Consumer Marketing, Digital PR, Internet, Marketing to Moms, Media and Press, Social Media by SkyeMcIntyre - No Comments →

Well, 2009 is nearly over and 360PR certainly was not going to miss out on the “year end list” fun!  We decided to compile our Top 10 Favorite Social Media Moments of 2009. Sure, the topic may be slightly played out, but does that make it any less important?  2009 concluded a decade of digital innovations: the iPod, BlackBerry, consumer GPS system, etc. And in our eyes, it most definitely went out with a bang!

So here they are, numbers 10 – 6 in our countdown, part one of a two-part social media extravaganza. Whether you think our choices are spot on or off-base, we’d love to hear your comments!

10. Burger King Whopper Sacrifice This year, Burger King challenged its fans to the ultimate test-delete 10 friends on Facebook, get a free Whopper-and created a slew of online buzz in its wake. Alerts popped up on mini-feeds everywhere (i.e. “Skye McIntyre sacrificed Lindsay Durr for a free Whopper”) and friends’ lists suffered significant depletions. But BK’s plan worked! Whether quirky, offensive, or just hilarious, the Whopper Sacrifice taught us all a valuable lesson-you can put a price on friendship, and that price is 1 Whopper.

9. Miley Cyrus Deletes Twitter On a more serious note, teen queen Miley Cyrus made headline news this year when she deleted her Twitter account. Outlets like The New York Times covered the “news” and, to respond to the public outrage inspired by her de-tweeting, Cyrus created this brilliant YouTube video. Wait-why is this #9, again?

8. “JK Wedding Dance” on YouTube This was probably the feel-good YouTube video of the decade. Something about this video struck a chord with online video watchers nationwide. In a year where everyone from Jon and Kate to Tiger and Elin headed for their attorneys, Jill and Kevin Heinz reminded us that love is out there, waiting, and it’s on YouTube. Several Today Show appearances and a hilarious Office spoof later, J&K are still going strong. They even used their tremendous popularity for a good cause; the pair helped raise over $26,000 for the Sheila Wellstone Institute, an organization that helps victims of domestic violence.  People questioned the authenticity of the video and wondered if a marketing team was behind it; marketers wished they could take credit.

7. Swine Flu Infects Social Media Swine Flu was one of the most serious topics of the year with an estimated 50 million cases in the US according to the CDC. However, the disease really went viral when concerned citizens began discussing it across Facebook and Twitter. According to Mashable, swine flu was the #3 topic trend on Facebook and the #2 and #6 trends on Twitter in 2009. For those who think Facebook and Twitter are only platforms for trivial discussions, think again.

6. Celebs on Twitter Want to be alerted every time Diddy sips Cristal? Well now you can-thanks to Twitter! Everyone from Lindsay Lohan to Oprah Winfrey to Shaq started microblogging this year, some more successfully than others (we’re looking at you, Shaq). Missed out on the celeb tweeting action? Check out CelebrityTweet.com to get all the latest updates in one place.

Filed under: Digital PR, Internet, Media and Press, Social Media by Admin - 4 Comments →

In honor of Sesame Street’s 40th anniversary in 2009, I thought I’d cap off the year with the Letter of the Day – make that Letter of the Year.  By my guestimation, the letter E was the hardest working letter in the alphabet in 2009 – used in ads, on packaging and in press releases countless times as marketers described their products as having “eco” qualities or making our lives ”easy,” or used “e” to indicate “electronic.”   No doubt D, G and O ranked high as well, for Digital, Green and Obama.

What were some of the other trends in 2009?  Many of us will remember ’09 as the year of the budget.  The way we talk to consumers (mass-market consumers anyway) has forever changed.  Features are nice, but price was the deciding factor for most in 2009, and marketers worked hard to cast price in the broader context of “value.”

There’s no arguing with features that don’t cost much, in some cases are free, and make our daily routines easier.  For that reason, 2009 was also the year of the app.  Is there anything we cannot do a little better or faster today without the help of an iPhone (or Blackberry) app?  There’s even a site dedicated to apps for moms, The iPhone Mom.

In 2009, the world – or at least a good 40 million of us – learned to think in headlines, something marketers have always been good at.  Twitter opened the floodgate on one-liners, and personalities like Heather Armstrong (Dooce) and Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh amassed audiences rivaling some magazines and double, triple, ten-fold the readership of many newspapers.

Meanwhile, The New York Times cut nearly 10% of its staff, while several magazines – some still thick with ads like Gourmet and Cookie – turned their last pages.  With traditional media on the run, bloggers took center stage and the FTC took notice, with new rules guiding interactions between marketers and bloggers.  Those who attended the swag-fest that was BlogHer ’09 welcome the formalized rules, a sign blogs are graduating from their teen years to a more mature media channel.

Perhaps least interesting to me in 2009 were the so-called “news” stories that dominated airwaves (and Twitter and Facebook), like “Balloon Boy” and “Kate and Jon,” so painfully familiar to us they don’t need last names.  Those were two of The Today Show’s “Top 10 stories of 2009″ over the weekend, a list I imagine was developed purely for ratings.  I hope.

Filed under: Consumer Marketing, Events and Conferences, Media and Press, Social Media by LauraTomasetti - No Comments →

It’s September and summer vacation’s clearly over.  Most of us have it engrained from the day we start kindergarten, backpacks on and lunchboxes in hand, that September means business.  This September’s no exception – and we’re thankful for that.

In one week at 360, we’ve had three client events spanning a range of product categories:  an event to introduce Stonyfield Farm’s YoBaby Meals featuring Stonyfield CE-Yo Gary Hirshberg and Boston Mama’s Christine Koh; a car seat safety briefing by Dorel Juvenile Group at the ABC KIDS Expo (#abckids on Twitter); and, a Snuggie fashion show during Fashion Week emceed by Ross “The Intern” Mathews from The Tonight Show.

A model wears one of the new Snuggie designs on the runway during Fall Fashion Week in New York.

We have two more events and multiple tours still to come this month, and we’re just one agency.  Multiply that by hundreds of agencies and brands with launches planned in September.  Imagine being a reporter or blogger on the receiving end of it all?  In fact, we’re hearing from bloggers that they’re being inundated with invitations – increasingly, it’s gotta be something pretty special to pull them out these days.

And at ABC Kids Expo in Las Vegas, editors from the leading parenting books were moving at a rapid clip, covering more ground with fewer staff.  Some were breathless.  It was interesting to see traditional media outnumbered by bloggers, and refreshing to see marketers spending after a cautious start to the year.

If September’s any indication, it’s going to be a noisy fall.  And it seems consumers are finally ready to listen – especially if the price is right!

Filed under: 360 Public Relations, Consumer Marketing, Events and Conferences, Media and Press, PR Industry by LauraTomasetti - No Comments →

This week, the 360PR team took on Vegas for the 7^th annual ABC Kids Expo.  This year was my first trip to the show, and I was overwhelmed with the sheer magnitude of juvenile product companies exhibiting.  Anything you think a baby or parent-to-be would need/want was there…and then some!  Stainless steel baby bottles, eco-friendly cloth diapers, and multitudes of edgy, cool baby furniture were just some of the many highlights. 

It’s always a blast to look at the latest designs and fashions for baby (everything is just too darn cute!); however, the most important feature when little ones are concerned is always safety.  

The timing for ABC Expo was perfect, as Saturday kicked off National Child Passenger Safety Week, which is a nationwide effort sponsored by NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration).  To start the week, car seat check events were held throughout the nation on Saturday.  I was lucky enough to attend a local event sponsored by Safe Kids.  I met the inspiring and dedicated folks behind Safe Kids, including the Training Manager and Technical Advisor, Lorrie Walker (pictured below).  Safe Kids reports that a whopping 4 out of 5 car seats are installed incorrectly. 

The theme of child safety continued, as we held a car seat safety briefing at the Safety 1^st booth at ABC Kids Expo.  The panel discussed the danger of side impact crashes for children and new innovations in testing methods and technology to protect our kids on the road.  We had a great turn-out – including top-notch editors, bloggers and industry advocates.  This briefing also caught the attention of NBC Las Vegas, as they broadcasted live from our booth to report on the Safety 1^st Air Protect Side Impact Technology for their morning show – which meant a 3AM wake-up call for me.  In true Vegas fashion, the streets were bustling at that hour anyway!

Filed under: 360 Public Relations, Events and Conferences, Industry Organizations, Media and Press, Parenting by Admin - 1 Comment →

So I’m just a wee bit late in the game with this post.  Hey, we’re busy with client work, a good thing right?  The New York Times published an article over the holiday weekend, Spinning the Web:  P.R. in Silicon Valley.

While some in the PR industry scoffed at the article (read Edelman’s rebuttal), there was at least an element of truth and a lesson or two to be learned by reading about the galavants (including bikini-clad client meetings) of Silicon Valley publicists.  Plus, let’s be honest, it was a fun, lighten-up, summertime read.

So here’s the true part:  PR is still about relationships.  That’s true whether dealing with influencers online or off, and it’s one of the reasons why PR practitioners are better equipped to lead brands into social media than other specialists who focus on transaction-based marketing.

There’s no denying the powerful combination of relationships + social media in the successful launch of Wordnik.   But it’s not simply ‘who you know.’  The nature and quality of the relationship is key.  How deep does the relationship run?  Is it truly two-way and built on mutual respect?  Will it last over time?

The Edelman blog brought to light another important point:  to reap the benefits of a sustained PR effort, you need a strategic approach, not just a whisper in so-and-so’s ear.

Filed under: Media and Press, PR Industry by LauraTomasetti - No Comments →